Chapter 30
Zarin was just a moment away from death, his life flashing before his eyes, when a lazy entrance was made. Before Zen could even sound the warning, Ryker had already noticed.
'Damn these fools! We are in a dungeon, freaking focus.' He shouted inwardly, his gaze narrowing as he saw more wraiths trickling into the cavern.
One especially was creeping toward Zarin, its movements cautious, almost calculating.
With a heavy sigh, Ryker pushed himself up, longsword in hand. A yawn slipped past his lips as he rubbed his eyes, his deadened gaze settling on the cavern as if everything before him was nothing more than a mild inconvenience.
'Guess I have to get involved then.'
"Wind Veil." Ryker mumbled beneath his breath just as Zen shouted his warning and Zarin spun around.
The air stirred violently, answering Ryker's call, surrounding his sword with a faint emerald glow. His stance sharpened as both hands tightened around the hilt.
With a sudden thrust forward, his words completed the motion.
"Bull Thrust."
A sharp whistle of wind followed, almost invisible save for the faint distortion in the air that resembled the horn of a beast.
In the blink of an eye, it ripped through the cavern and slammed into the wraith's abdomen. The creature shrieked—its laugh cutting short as its torso tore open. It crumpled in a heap, lifeless.
With steady steps, Ryker walked forward, resting the flat of his sword against his shoulder, his posture relaxed as if he had just swatted a fly.
He yawned again, unbothered. Zen stared at him with wide eyes, his mind struggling to grasp what he had just witnessed.
"Yo… you… you are welcome. Yawwwnn."
"Tch! Not like I needed your help anyway. It just gave you more reason to aura farm." Zarin scoffed, his pride refusing to bend even though his knees were still shaking. He tightened his grip on his blade, scanning the cavern as more beasts poured in.
By now, the chamber had filled with at least twenty wraiths. At last, the stream of newcomers seemed to stop, and without wasting time, Aria was already loosing arrow after arrow, each one finding its mark with unnerving precision.
"Whatever." Ryker muttered as he turned to face ten wraiths charging forward, their claws clattering against the ground as they came.
"Sheesh. They have become too many." Zarin said under his breath, taking his stance once again.
But Ryker simply raised his blade lazily and swung it in a wide arc, the wind flaring to life around him.
"Doesn't matter how many they are. I will cut them down." His tone was flat, almost bored, as he vanished forward, his movement blurring like the rushing breeze.
A wraith thrust its claws at him, but with a sharp pivot Ryker avoided the strike. His sword slammed into its arm, staggering the creature.
In the same motion, he whipped his leg upward. His foot connected with its jaw, and from that strike a surge of compressed wind burst forth, decapitating the beast and tearing into the wraiths clustered behind it.
"You are all interrupting my sleep time. I should be curled up right now, getting my beauty sleep." Ryker complained, pointing his sword at the nearest enemy. Another yawn followed, dragging the words out of his mouth like a groan.
"So I will need to end your lives quickly, deal with your boss, and then go back to my nap. Yawn!"
Right on cue, the pack of wraiths screeched and rushed toward him.
'So he has the Wind Veil, huh? That means he is a C ranker. Although his veil isn't as strong as Mister Tom's… oh wait, of course not.' Zen thought with a groan, slapping his forehead.
'Sir Tom is a B ranker who wields the Flame Veil. Compared to that, Ryker's is weaker, but still… this is terrifying. I can't even imagine what it feels like to be awakened. I wonder what kind of veil I would have gotten if I did have one.'
"Aria! Back Zarin up!" Ryker barked as he dashed forward. The wind swirled around his legs in a furious spiral, lifting him like a phantom breeze.
In one fluid glide, he slipped beneath the swings of the wraiths' claws and reappeared behind them, his sword already rising for the next strike.
"Bull thrust! Bull thrust!" Ryker roared, his voice echoing through the cavern as he drove his sword into the air twice. Each strike whipped the wind into razor-like currents that howled outwards and slammed into three wraiths, tearing gaping holes through their shadowy abdomens.
"You can't dodge what you can't see, huh?" he chuckled, leaning back just in time to avoid a swipe aimed at his face. His grin lingered even as he threw a quick glance behind him, where Zarin was locked in combat with two beasts at once.
Zarin thrust his sword toward one, but the beast crossed its claws, blocking the blow. The impact forced it back, scraping its fused feet against the ground.
Before Zarin could press forward, another beast lunged from behind, claws arcing for his throat. He reacted instantly, leaping sideways, the attack barely missing its mark.
"Curses. This is becoming too much now," he hissed, ducking low as another claw carved through the air above his head, the force making the cavern walls echo with a sharp swoosh.
The moment he lifted his head, another sound cut through the air. Thwip!
"ARGHH! Damn it, Aria!" Zarin roared as an arrow embedded itself deep into his shoulder. Blood splattered as he staggered.
"F*ck! I'm so sorry! You suddenly stood upright and I wasn't aware—" Aria stammered, panic in her tone. But she didn't freeze. In the same breath, she nocked another arrow and released it.
The shaft whistled through the air, striking a wraith that had been creeping behind Ryker. The arrow pinned the beast's leg to the ground with a heavy thud, stopping it mid-stride.
Ryker spun sharply at the sound. His blade flashed in a clean arc, and in one swift motion, the wraith's head toppled from its shoulders.
"I wonder if you all have a problem with my shoulder or something!" Zarin snarled through gritted teeth. Blood seeped down his arm, but his glare burned hotter than the pain. He stepped aside just as another beast slashed for him, the claws missing his shoulder by a hair.
With a burst of speed, Zarin dashed forward, his blade plunging into the beast's chest. The steel sank deep, the monster's howl dying in its throat.
He wrenched his weapon free and spun on his heel, just as the last wraith lunged for his face. Its claws scraped across his cheek, leaving a shallow but stinging cut.
Fueled by fury, Zarin gripped his sword tightly and swung upward in a brutal arc. The strike split the beast's jaw in two, the wraith's form collapsing into dust. The cavern echoed with one final woosh, then silence.
"I guess that's the last of them," Ryker said with a heavy exhale, his tone calm but edged with fatigue. He stretched his arms lazily before yawning.
Rina rushed to Zarin's side, her hands glowing faintly as she began mending his wounds. Zen, however, stood frozen. His mouth hung slightly open, eyes locked on the carnage before him.
'So… so this is the power of Reavers?' he thought, his chest tightening. 'They cut through D-rank beasts like it's nothing. Meanwhile, that damned goblin during my assessment nearly sent me to my grave. Will I ever grow strong enough to fight like this… or even surpass them?'
"Hey, porter boy!" Zarin snapped, his voice pulling Zen out of his spiraling thoughts. "What are you staring at? Collect the beast cores already!"
"Stay still, or my concentration will break," Rina scolded sharply, keeping her focus on the glow of healing magic around Zarin's shoulder.
Zen muttered under his breath, bitterness curling in his voice. "I wish that arrow had pierced your head…" He moved toward the fallen beasts, crouching to dig out the glowing cores from their broken bodies.
"Hurry it up," Ryker called out, his gaze shifting toward the cavern ceiling. "We need to reach the boss room. Once the boss is down, the dungeon will start collapsing. Five minutes—that's all we'll have to get out alive."
The cavern, quiet for now, seemed to hold its breath.